SPIKE IN IMPORTED COVID-19 CASES

[Anchor Lead]

An increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Korea are coming in from overseas. As a matter of fact, fifteen percent of new infections on Saturday were from abroad. With imported cases on the rise, authorities are on high alert over quarantine measures.

[Pkg]

As of Sunday, COVID-19 cases were reported in some 150 countries around the globe. The disease hit Italy, Spain, Germany and the United States particularly hard as thousands of new patients are being confirmed each day. Subsequently, the number of Koreans who have caught the virus when they were abroad is on the rise. A woman in her 20s living in Seoul who went to New York on a business trip tested positive for the virus yesterday. Another man in his 20s in Seoul was found to have been infected with the virus after traveling to Spain with a friend.

[Soundbite] (DOBONG-GU DISTRICT OFFICE EMPLOYEE) : "He came to the clinic when he heard his friend tested positive. He was tested there and got the result back this morning."

Roughly 120 COVID-19 cases were imported from abroad just on Sunday. Those from Europe accounted for the largest share with 73. Nineteen were from Asian countries other than China followed by those from the United States and Canada. Imported cases spiked recently. There were fewer than 10 imported cases between January and the first week of this month. But then the number rose to 18 in the second week and then jumped to 74 in the third week. Fifteen cases or just over 15 percent of the new cases confirmed on Saturday were imported from abroad. Eight were from Europe where the virus is rapidly spreading, five from the Americas, and one each from the Philippines and Iran. Authorities said that three-quarters of the inbound passengers are Koreans. Officials added that they haven't considered placing an entry ban.

[Soundbite] KWON JUN-WOOK(KOREA CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION) : "We'd like to put in place a reasonable and logical measure grounded on democratic freedom rather than a crude measure like an entry ban."

The government has emphatically asked Koreans to postpone or cancel non-essential overseas travels.